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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25473085">Closure</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/genevievedarcygranger/pseuds/genevievedarcygranger'>genevievedarcygranger</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hotch x Garcia [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Criminal Minds (US TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Based on a Maroon 5 Song, F/M, Family, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Getting Together, Kevin Lynching Bashing, Kissing, Office Romance, One Shot, Romance, Short One Shot, Song: Closure (Maroon 5)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-20 08:07:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,435</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25473085</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/genevievedarcygranger/pseuds/genevievedarcygranger</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In the wake of her break-up with Kevin, Garcia is trying to get her groove back. Little does she know that there’s been someone waiting under her nose all along for his chance at love with her.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Penelope Garcia/Aaron Hotchner, Penelope Garcia/Kevin Lynch</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hotch x Garcia [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1862245</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>97</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Closure</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It never would have happened if she hadn't broken up with Kevin.</p><p>Even then, that was his fault. Kevin wasn't so much as clingy and concerned in the cute way so much as in the controlling, toxic, jealous way. He wanted her to choose between her job and him, which was only code for choosing between her family and him. Despite what he said, he couldn't handle the way she talked to Morgan, and even though they had the same job, he didn't like how when it came to her team, Garcia would drop everything for them.</p><p>Of course, she had to break up with Kevin, and it hurt. Garcia knew that relationships weren't easy in the BAU, but relationships had already been especially challenging for her before. There was that one guy who shot her, and then her toxic ex. Not much else, but none of them were star players.</p><p>Garcia tried not to dwell on that, though. She took comfort in the fact that most of her coworkers were also riding the single-bus with her. Morgan was happily single. Rossi had three divorces, Emily couldn't make it work long distance with her London boy, Spencer's girlfriend died. Hotch got divorced and then his high school sweetheart died. The only one who was happily in love was JJ. She and Will were the goal at the end of the road of compromise and making it work.</p><p>So, Garcia had hope for the future. But first came the wallowing. There was lots of crying, nights where she begged Reid to come over and binge <em>Dr. Who</em> marathons. He even brought her pints of ice cream, which he also ate, despite his lactose intolerance. That just shows how distraught Garcia was that she didn't notice his terrible gas.</p><p>After the crying, came the shopping trips that JJ and Emily chaperoned. Garcia never bought so many shoes in her life compared the month after she broke up with Kevin. It was a vicious cycle, shoe shopping on Saturday only to guilty return half of them the next day. And once she got sick of the shoes, then Garcia's credit card bought so many presents, first for Henry and Jack, who were delighted at all of the dinosaurs, puzzle boxes, squirt guns, Avenger masks, light-up lightsabers, and Lego kits. It took Hotch stepping in and gently asking that she take it easy on the gifts since his apartment floor looked like a toy store before Garcia stopped there. But that only meant that everywhere she shopped, she found herself thinking of Kevin.</p><p>"<em>Kevin would look good in that shirt</em>," she'd think, or, "<em>Oh, Kevin needed a new cookie sheet for his kitchen</em>."</p><p>But she didn't give in. Instead, Garcia channeled that energy into her team. She bought cable-knit sweater vests for Reid, silken ties for Hotch, went back to the shoe stores to hunt down the kitten heels that she saw JJ glance at when they shopped together. At first, her family was pretty gracious about it, Reid and Hotch both a combination of too awkward and too polite to refuse.</p><p>This time it was Morgan and Rossi who stopped Garcia. After Garcia's third kitchen themed gift of a dark wooden knife block, Rossi said, "You do know that I'm rich, right?" Morgan just asked if she had balanced her checkbook lately.</p><p>For the sake of her credit score (and because she knew if she tried to wipe out her debt virtually Hotch would give her one of those disappointed looks), Garcia moved on to the next step.</p><p>Morgan and Emily dragged her out to bars almost every night there wasn't a case. Emily claimed it was time for Garcia to get back out there on the horse, nothing serious needed, but of course, Morgan was more for the avenue of drinking until she didn't remember Kevin's favorite movie snack. And Garcia…couldn't actually. But she couldn't bring herself to bring anyone else home either. It didn't feel right, and Morgan often scared away anyone Garcia thought was cute enough.</p><p>Eventually, though, when Garcia started feeling like herself again, bubbly and confident, she realized that she was okay. Things weren't exactly like how they were before, though. For one, despite the helpful interference from her family, Kevin still made things awkward at work. Garcia tried to be at the least professional and at the most cordial, but Kevin made snide comments that he knew would dig under her skin. So, Garcia tried outright ignoring him.</p><p>That didn't really work either. Incidental meetings – usually in the breakroom – meant Garcia just stood there filling her coffee cup while Kevin tried to pry his way back in her life. Usually, he asked the same question. "So, since you broke up with me, have you and Morgan made it official?"</p><p>Once her coffee was just how she'd like it, Garcia would head back to her office, head held high.</p><p>"Yeah, that's what I thought," Kevin would say to her back, and that was the new Kevin routine.</p><p>Surprisingly, it only made it that much easier to get over him. Well, that, and the new oddity in her life being Hotch's friendship. They had always been friends, especially after Haley, but now Garcia noticed that Hotch seemed to pay especially close attention to her. After cases, Hotch would stick his head in her office and tell her to go home in so many words, not unkindly. Sometimes in the morning, he would bring her a muffin from the good coffeeshop that was closer to his apartment that hers. He invited her over to dinner a few times, usually under the excuse to see Jack's progress on the puzzles and Lego sets she bought him.</p><p>And Garcia found that all of these occasions were the best distractions out of them all, because they weren't really distractions. They didn't feel like excuses to ignore Kevin. They felt like just living her life in completeness.</p><p>But at first, she did feel like maybe Hotch was hovering out of pity. He was the protective type, and he seemed especially pissed at Kevin. Garcia witnessed Kevin turn around and not-quite run away whenever he saw Hotch coming at least twice now. To test her theory, around lunch when Garcia went to get her coffee refilled, she stuck her head in Hotch's office. "Hey, bossman. Do you need some coffee?"</p><p>Hotch looked up from his paperwork seemingly in a daze of bureaucratic red-tape nightmare stuff that Garcia liked to ignore when she hacked through networks. He could drip with patience when he wanted to, something Garcia admired as much as she envied. It took two blinks before he could answer her, which already answered her question about the coffee refill. "I could use some."</p><p>"Great!" Garcia shifted inside and leaned against the doorjamb, lightly tapping her turquoise nails against her yellow coffee mug. It read <em>Miracle Worker</em>, something that she made herself during one of her crafty stints where she took Henry with her to a pottery shop. He had painted a ceramic dog blue and green. "Do you wanna come with me to the breakroom? I promise you'll be back to your work in no time, Mr. Workaholic."</p><p>He seemed only slightly confused before Garcia watched him compartmentalize this request as just typical Garcia unusualness. That was another thing she loved about Hotch; he took all of her in stride, accepting her as she is. "That's fine. It'll be nice to stretch my legs." Grabbing his own plain white mug, Hotch followed her out the door without any questions.</p><p>They walked side by side in companionable silence, Garcia too nervous about her theory to say anything and Hotch not one to pry unless he deems it necessary. At the coffeepot, Garcia poured Hotch's coffee first. "You don't have to do that for me, Garcia."</p><p>"I know I don't. But you've got an easy cup to make. Black with lots of sugar. No cream." She passed his mug back after three heaping scoops of sugar stirred in. "You've got quite the sweet tooth, bossman," she teased with a smile.</p><p>When Hotch took his mug back, it was with a slight twitch of a smile in the corners of his mouth, eyes lowered. Their fingertips brushed, which made her pause at first, but then Garcia didn't think much of it. "You've got a sweet tooth, too, Garcia. Except you prefer honey over sugar." Before she could refill her own coffee, Hotch was doing it for her, and Garcia's smile stretched wider. A queer warmth spread through her middle right about the time she watched Hotch's big hand squeeze the honey bear tightly, generously adding just the right amount of honey.</p><p>Before Garcia could process what that feeling meant, Hotch's phone started ringing. He glanced at her apologetically as he pulled his phone from his pocket. "Sorry, I have to take this. It's Jessica." He stepped away for privacy, and Garcia took over stirring her honey until it could dissolve. The whole time, Kevin had been absent, but he made his appearance now.</p><p>"I knew you had a sweet tooth," he started, and Garcia was already fighting the urge to roll her eyes. "My mistake was thinking that your sweet tooth was just for your Chocolate Thunder."</p><p>She held up a finger, not bothering to look at him as she needlessly focused on her coffee. "You don't get to call Morgan that. And besides, I don't know what you're talking about, Kevin."</p><p>"You know, my college roommate," Garcia looked up, unsure of where Kevin was going with this now. He had grabbed an apple, taking an obnoxious bite and chewing with his mouth full. "His name was Ricky D., drank coffee from sunup to sundown. Spent four years with the guy and I never remembered how he took his coffee."</p><p>Though she wanted to walk away, Hotch's mug sitting on the counter kept her there. "You lost me at Ricky."</p><p>"He likes you, you know. And you like him." Kevin sounded smug. "I should have seen it coming; I'm surprised I didn't. But I guess you had to settle somewhere."</p><p>"That's what this is about? Because I know what Hotch, my boss, puts in his coffee?"</p><p>Kevin nodded, still munching away at his apple, and finally – finally – Garcia reached the angry stage of break-up. And the anger felt too good to just continue ignoring Kevin. So instead of running back to her office, she clutched her mug in her palms, drawing strength from the heat, imagining that she was holding her own ball of anger. Following some of the intimidation tactics she'd seen Hotch use in questioning before, Garcia stepped into Kevin's space, voice low and calm. "Might I remind you that whose coffee order I memorize is no longer any of your business."</p><p>He balked at her, nearly choking on a bite of his apple as his mouth gaped. Wide-eyed behind his glasses, Kevin couldn't hold her gaze as he switched between staring at both of her eyes. All smug confidence gone, he stuttered, "I-I just thought–"</p><p>Whatever he might have said was interrupted by Hotch's return as Kevin immediately took a step back, pretending that they hadn't been talking. "Is everything okay, Garcia?" Hotch asked. His tone was neutral, but his eyes were like daggers as he glared at Kevin.</p><p>Garcia just passed Hotch back his coffee mug, wrapping her hand around his forearm, too. "Nothing you need to worry about. So, what did Jessica say? Is Jack alright?" She started tugging him away, back to his office, and Hotch allowed himself to be led.</p><p>"Yes, he's fine. Jessica was just reminding me about a dentist appointment that Jack has next Thursday. The dentist's office called her for the reminder instead of me, but Jack wants me to take him. And I will, if we don't have a case."</p><p>"Hm," Garcia said, only half-listening. With every step she took putting distance between her and Kevin, the clearer her mind got. Just like that, she was out of the anger stage of the break-up, and once again, she felt like her own person. Still, she couldn't help but dwell on what Kevin had said to her. Was it really just his own insecurity reading too much into things or did Hotch really look at her that way?</p><p>Curious, Garcia looked up at Hotch who was already staring at her, his dark eyes soft. She startled at the eye-contact, and then waved off his concerns. "Sorry, my mind is just somewhere else right now. Coding circles." They were stopped just outside his office, but she could tell that Hotch wasn't one to let things go without a real answer. Profilers.</p><p>"Garcia," he gestured for her to enter his office first, and she did, reluctantly. He followed her inside, shutting the door behind them, but he left his blinds open, which helped Garcia feel like she wasn't really in trouble. Still, he didn't step behind his desk, choosing instead to set his coffee mug aside and steal hers away to place next to his mug on his desk, too.</p><p>"I know that you were the one who broke up with Lynch, and you've been doing so well lately. You seemed happy, and I'd hate for one little run-in with Kevin to ruin all of that. If you need anything, or you just want to talk, you can always talk to me." Garcia glanced up at him sharply, a question poised on her tongue already before Hotch amended his statement, "I mean, you can talk to any of us on the team. I know you'd probably rather talk to Morgan or Rossi about this, but I'm here, too, if you need me."</p><p>Genuinely touched, Garcia thanked Hotch sincerely. "Thanks, Hotch. You've done a lot more for me than you could ever realize."</p><p>And even though she knew he wasn't one for hugs, Garcia pulled him into one anyway. He surprised her when he didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around her middle, his large hands spread over her back and squeezing her with just the right amount of pressure to feel safe and not trapped. Garcia buried her face in chest, his suit soft against her cheek and his cologne especially strong in her nose. He smelled a little like his coffee, but mostly like his cologne, and Garcia took another deep breath without thinking twice about it. Underneath her cheek, his chest was hard, muscled though not as defined as Morgan's, but Garcia preferred the softness. And then there was his strong heartbeat, loud in her ear, but not steady like she was expecting. Hotch's heart was beating a little fast, and if Garcia didn't know any better, she'd say he was nervous.</p><p>She pulled away first, about to ask him what was wrong, but then Hotch's hand came up to her cheek. His fingertips barely brushed across her chin, and the ability to think fled from Garcia's brain. In a trance, Garcia looked up into Hotch's face as she watched it transform from knitted brow and severe lines to an expression of softness. It was like watching an oyster open up to show its pearl. And then his face was looming that much closer, and Garcia's mouth dropped open right when he kissed her. Hotch's tongue – Aaron's tongue – slipped in her mouth, tasting of his sweet coffee as he gently coaxed her tongue into a dance as well.</p><p>He tasted sweeter than she thought he would; and as soon as Garcia realized that she had considered before what Hotch would taste like, she knew that she did like him that way, and it was different from Morgan. While Morgan was her very first friend at the Bureau, Hotch was definitely her first workplace crush that she quickly set aside once she realized he was married. In the wake of all these years after Haley, though, where they have grown closer and Garcia has seen Hotch at his lowest, darkest points as well as been there on his journey back to the light, Garcia let herself fall in love with him again. And it was so slow, inch by inch, bit by bit, that she didn't realize it had happened until she was already head-over-heels, too far gone.</p><p>Again, Garcia pulled away first, only this time it was for much needed oxygen. The space between them allowed her room to think again. As her eyes flew open, she looked everywhere but at Hotch because she knew if she did look at him, she wouldn't be able to stop herself from kissing him again. Staring past him, Garcia gasped, "Shit! Your blinds are open!"</p><p>Hotch was already jerking them close, and then he was stepping away from her, fingers combing at his hair. "It…I…" Hotch sighed, looking for the right words. He looked so much more human with his hair pushed out of place and some of her red lipstick smeared on his bottom lip. Garcia watched as Hotch's tongue dabbed at the very smear she was looking at. "I hadn't planned for it to go like this, Penelope. I wanted to ask you to dinner. One where we went out instead of staying in with Jack."</p><p>Her turquoise nails brushed against her own mouth. At the use of her first name, Garcia felt like warmed over honey was seeping out into her limbs through her circulatory system, starting somewhere between her heart and her stomach. "What, uh, what restaurant were you thinking?"</p><p>He finally looked at her, and Garcia felt a little bit like Elizabeth Bennet must've when she watched Darcy cross the moor in that fog. "Somewhere that serves Thai food. I haven't been yet; Dave recommended it."</p><p>From behind her glasses, Garcia blinked owlishly at him. She asked, "Does he know it's me?"</p><p>"Yes," Hotch answered without hesitating.</p><p>"Does, does anyone else know?"</p><p>Looking a little rueful, Hotch shoved his hands in his pockets and rolled his shoulders, a move that too elegant to be quite a shrug. "Emily and JJ have both been insisting that I hurry up and ask you, but I've been waiting until it's closer to the reservation. Well," he looked down at his shoes, "that and I think that it's still too soon after Lynch, so I apologize."</p><p>"No!" Garcia said sharply, surprising them both. Hotch looked up at her, a question in his dark eyes, and Garcia just took a deep breath as she straightened her shoulders. "I mean, don't apologize, Hotch. You should just ask me."</p><p>"Ask you?" Hotch mirrored her pose, removing his hands from his pockets and flexing his fingers as if he received an electric shock.</p><p>"Yes." Garcia lifted her chin, stepping into his space. "Ask me."</p><p>The corner of Hotch's mouth lifted into a half-smile that was entirely too handsome for Garcia's heart to stand. "Penelope, would you like to go to dinner with me next Friday at eight?"</p><p>This time Garcia couldn't contain her smile. "I would love to, Hotch."</p><p>"You can call me Aaron," he offered, full on smiling at her now.</p><p>"Aaron," Garcia repeated, lips tingling as she shaped his name. She lifted her hand to his face now, her fingers dabbing at the smear of lipstick on his bottom lip. "Does that mean no more kissing until our date?"</p><p>"Well, we probably shouldn't at work," Hotch hedged, though he looked sorely tempted to do otherwise.</p><p>"Oh, that's a shame." Garcia scrapped her teeth across her bottom lip as she pushed her fingers through Hotch's mussed hair. Once she had a good grip, she was pulling him down to her level. "Because we're gonna do it anyway."</p><p>By the time Hotch managed to convince Garcia to go back to her office, her lipstick was completely gone, and both his mug of coffee and hers were cooled down, still full to the brim. Garcia went to get them both refills so that they could concentrate on their own work and once again met Kevin lingering in the break room. He took one look at her with her mouth conspicuously bare of the red lipstick she was wearing earlier, and his eyebrows knitted together in a frown of consternation. She was pleased when he left her in peace to remake their coffee, and after Garcia dropped off Hotch's mug with another, briefer kiss and was once again sitting in front of her keyboard, she realized that the butterflies in her stomach were definitely from Hotch, but the gladness in heart was something she'd been looking for. Closure.</p>
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